


Journal of Lorelei Oak- North American Archdruid

by orphan_account



Series: Druid of Gravity Falls [1]
Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Druids, Fae & Fairies, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Magic, Worldbuilding, magical learning
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-04
Updated: 2020-01-17
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:40:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22107982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: It's hard being a druid, Lorelei Oak has been the Druid of Gravity Falls for a very long time, but after Weirdmageddon, she finds that Dipper Pines has gotten a spark of Druidic Magic.It's going to be a long 9 months.There's going to a lot of magic, mishaps, and multiple exploding trees.
Relationships: Dipper Pines & Mabel Pines, Dipper Pines & Original Female Character(s), Mabel Pines & Original Character(s)
Series: Druid of Gravity Falls [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1590805
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lorelei explains on how she met the Pines twins. Badly.

> _Summer 2012_
> 
> _September 3_
> 
> _I hate working with gnomes._
> 
> _Yeah, this is a great way to start this._
> 
> _Context: I was working with some of the creatures of the_ Gravity Falls _woods, trying to plan a step- by- step guide on how to easily teach Druidism to a ~~newbie~~ _ _newly awakened. Why I decided to ask the gnomes is beyond me. Gnomes can be helpful when they can be reasoned with. Given that they're_ gnomes, _this is hard to do. But, this was something I needed to do;_ Dipper Pines _needed my guidance or at the very least some help with his fast-growing power. I decided to start simple, simple meditation so he could stop astral walking in his sister's pet pig_ Waddles _. I also quickly carved out a totem for him, it should keep him from accidentally turning him into wood, growing leaves in his hair, or slipping into_ Old Speech. _I hope this works..._

* * *

Lorelei Oak had spent the past two hours playing checkers with a pig. She wouldn't say that this was the funnest thing to do, especially because Waddles cheated like there was no tomorrow. It was most likely Stanley Pines's fault, but she digressed. She wouldn't have to do this if she didn't realize that Dipper and his sister Mabel were eating out with their parents.

So there they were. Sitting down on a bench in the Pines' backyard. Playing checkers with a pig. 

The moon had just started to rise before she heard the clatter of the Pines' family car. Waddles' ears perked up and he started oinking _Mabel Mabel Mabel_ in Old Speech.

Lorelei smiled under her mask and gave him a scratch under the chin and sent him off towards the sliding glass door.

She stood up, gave her back a stretch and with a snap of her fingers, she turned the checkerboard back into a pile of fallen leaves.

"Lori!" She heard as she turned around to see a purple blur smash into her.

Mabel Pines looked the same as the day she left, the only difference being she was wearing a purple sweater with a tree, probably to commemorate her brother's training. She grinned up at her for a second before seeing Waddles and scooped him up in her arms.

"Something _really_ weird happened to Dipper today. All day, every time he talked he'd end up talking like you do sometimes! Like, with all the animal noises and Latin and junk. Dip said that you have something to help him." She hugged Waddles' closer while he oinked _Help Help Help_ _Dipper_

 _"_ I do have something for him, but for now I need to ask, did anything else happen? Every day it seems his power grows stronger, slipping into Old Speech might not be the last." Lorelei squatted down and ruffled Mabel's hair. 

"Now, let's give your brother a gift. Oh, and remind him not to look into an animal's eyes before he goes to bed. Waddles does not need Dipper's mind in his body.

* * *

> _Summer 2012_
> 
> _September 5_
> 
> _Context matters. I probably should tell the story of how I met the twins. I'm sorry. Wait, why am I apologizing to a journal? Gods, I need some sleep... Wonder if it's too late to go to that siren spa._
> 
> _Okay, never mind that._
> 
> _See two and a half weeks ago, a demon named Bill Cipher opened an interdimensional rift into our world._
> 
> _Wait, no I need to go back further._
> 
> _Back, to the beginning of summer. Dun-dun-dah (I may be spending to much time with_ Mabel _)_
> 
> _See, Dipper and Mabel were sent up north from Piedmont, California to spend the summer with their ~~great-uncle~~ Grunkle ~~Stanford~~ Stanley Pines (they didn't know he was _ Stanley _, their parents thought he was his brother_ Stanford _) who ran a tourist trap called the_ Mystery Shack. ( _The real mystery was why anyone went there.)_
> 
> _Dang it,_ Dipper _your wit is starting to rub off on me. Ugh, this is stupid, I'm only writing this because it is the best way to gather my thoughts. I have hundreds of these scattered around the woods. It's a miracle that_ Dipper _found Journal 3 instead of one of mine._
> 
> _I guess that's the best segway to the rest of the summer, Mabel was kidnapped by gnomes, chased by a mechanical Gobblewonker, trained with Manotaurs, sang with the Multi-Bear, the works. The Journal gave Dipper an outlet for his wanderlust. I had not talked to him but ~~stalked~~ observed him from the sidelines. _
> 
> _His sister was the exact opposite. I admit I did not like_ Mabel _when I first 'met' her. She seemed more interested in finding, in her words 'an epic summer romance'._
> 
> _Heck, she got angry when_ Dipper _thought that her first boyfriend was a zombie. (He was a bunch of gnomes, see captured by gnomes above) But after a while, I mellowed out,_ Mabel _wasn't as bad as I first thought, she was loyal, funny, kind, and hates unicorns as much as well, pretty much as literally, everything else in the world did._
> 
> _Unicorns are_ jerks _._
> 
> _About halfway through the summer,_ Stanley _was arrested for stealing radioactive waste._
> 
> _The twins found out that there was a portal under the Shack, and who would come out but_ Stanley's _twin brother_ Stanford _, the author of the Journals and_ Stanley's _twin brother, yadda yadda._
> 
> _Listen, I'm running on less than 2 week's sleep, I'm tired. Ugh, I've been popping throughout North America trying to clean up after_ Weirdmageddon _._
> 
> Weirdmageddon, _to those who were not in the_ Gravity Falls _valley, is the name that_ Bill Cipher _, an_ insane _demon that tricked_ Mabel _into opening a portal that would let his world into our world._
> 
> _You may be wondering where I was during the summer, the answer is: panicking because I was running out of patience. As an Archdruid, I had to deal with everything in North America, which is a lot. In total, last I checked there were only about 100- 200 Druids. Wait, I'm rambling._
> 
> _Here's the cliffnotes:_ Ford _erased_ Stan's _mind,_ _erasing_ Bill _in the process._
> 
> _During_ Dipper _and_ Mabel's 13th _birthday I made my move. Why I waited so long is besides me._
> 
> _There was a lot of screaming as a 10 foot tall masked figure emerged from the woods and told_ Dipper _was to be the next Druid of_ Gravity Falls _. (In hindsight, I could've done the whole thing better.)_
> 
> _After the party cleared up, I explained to the_ Pines _family what was happening. Due to the amount of time Dipper spent in the woods nearby_ Gravity Falls _, and with_ Weirdmageddon, Dipper _had awakened a spark of ancient_ Druidic _magic, and I needed to teach him. Were my goals slightly self centered? Yes, but_ Dipper _had a good head and I thought he was the best candidate._ Ford _was writing everything down until this point._ Mabel _looked upset,_ _looked up at me and asked: "Will_ Dipper _need to stay here?"_
> 
> _"Yes,_ Dipper's _magic will grow powerful. I remember when I first manifested my powers." I took my mask off, and with a warm smile regaled them with a story of when I woke up one morning in a bear's body. I gave my tribe a scare when a brown bear barreled into our camp._
> 
> _This_ _did not make_ Mabel _or_ Dipper, _feel better._ Mabel _was teary eyed and_ Dipper _was squeezing_ Mabel's _hand._
> 
> _"Wait, what's wrong?" I was missing something._
> 
> Stan _gently rubbed_ Mabel's _back as she told her tale of woe. The week before their 13th birthday,_ Ford _had needed_ Dipper's _help in sealing the dimensional Rift, needing a adhesive in an alien spaceship under the valley. (This was news to me, I've been here before_ Gravity Falls _was even founded.) While their,_ Ford _asked_ Dipper _to be his apprentice,_ Dipper _had initially refused, but after_ Ford _was kidnapped by a drone (Note to self: ask_ Dipper _to teach me more about technology._ ) _After which,_ Dipper _accepted_ Ford's _offer, meanwhile_ _Mabel was having the_ worst _._ day _._ ever _. She learned high school was hell, her friends wouldn't be able to attend her party, and that_ Dipper _wasn't going back to_ California _with her._
> 
> _After an argument with_ Dipper, Mabel _ran into the woods, where she gave the rift to a time traveller they knew. (Time travel, huh? Those crazy chronos got it right after all.) It turns out that the time traveller was possessed by_ Bill. 
> 
> _With all that in mind, I revised my plan. It hurt when my tribe had to leave the_ Falls _, and I didn't want to split the two of them up. Maybe it was for the best. It was decided that the twins would go back to_ California _and that I would pop over their to check up on them and give_ Dipper _a couple lessons on_ Druidsim, _which seemed like a good idea- until_ Dipper _started manifesting his powers over night, growing leaves as hair, turning his arm into wood, slipping into_ Old Speech (Dipper _just stayed silent the entire day claimed he was sick) So I did the most logical thing: spending two hours arguing with gnomes on how to teach_ Dipper. _Keep in mind, I haven't taught a Druid in almost, how long's it been? 3- 400 years._
> 
> _I'm pretty sure nothing will go wrong._
> 
> _So anyways, I gave him a totem that should help control his wild magic. I'm suppose to meet up with them on Saturday and actually start teaching_ Dipper. _Wish me luck, I've got to deal with a Gremloblin, apparently he's cheating at goblin poker and almost caused a civil war._
> 
> _Druid responsibilities everyone._
> 
> _I'll write as soon as possible._
> 
> _Ciao._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. Yeah. This is a thing I'm writing. Did I use a lazy excuse on why it's so bad? Yes, I did. It's bad. It might not get better, it might.


	2. Chapter 2

> _Summer 2012_
> 
> _September 8_
> 
> _Druid training has begun!_
> 
> _Or at least a weekend of training. We didn't do anything crazy, just a little meditation and practicing turning_ Dipper's _arm into wood._ _This is the simplest_ _Druid ability, one that every beginner Druid needs to master, its saved my life almost never, but can be useful._
> 
> _When I asked where_ Mabel _was,_ Dipper _said she was at a sleepover with a couple of her friends. Better for him, if_ Mabel _was around she would probably get_ Dipper _to turn into wood for a dare._
> 
> _Teenagers._
> 
> _Maybe I'm being too hard on_ Mabel. _Maybe I'm still sleep deprived. Me and_ Dipper _have that in common at least._
> 
> _I'm not needed back until next week, I'll ask_ Dipper _if it's fine that I crash in his backyard to catch up on sleep._
> 
> _Maybe this is what I needed, teaching is less stressful than everything else I do._
> 
> Dipper _headed back inside the house, I'm making myself comfortable on some fallen leaves,_ Dipper _said it was cool to stay here and get some rest. Good kid, I'm about to sleep. Gods, I can't wait until winter rolls around._

* * *

_Monday September 10_

"C'mon, Dippin-dot!" Mabel whined as she poked him while they stood by their lockers. "Let me see some of that cool druidy stuff you can do! Can you turn into an animal?" She gasped loudly. "Can you turn into a pig so Waddles can have another pig friend? That would be so cool! You could be the best pig friend Waddles would ever have. 'Specially since Ash doesn't like him all that much." 

"Mabel, I can't turn into a pig, I can't even turn my arm into wood, besides Lori said I need to master that first before I move on." Dipper told her, as he quickly unlocked his locker, Mabel at his side doing the same,

Mabel huffed and crossed her arms. "Still would've been cool if I told Grunkle Stan you could turn into animals. He would have made a killing with the amazing Animal-Boy." She waved her arm in front of her, as Dipper rolled his eyes and pulled out his books from his locker.

Dipper put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. "Listen, when Lori starts teaching me that, I'll ask her to start with a pig." He paused and reconsidered. "Though knowing her, she's going have do some have me be a boar instead."

Mabel snorted giggled and snorted again, skipping all the way. "C'mon bro-bro, it sounds like you're being the _boar_ now." 

Dipper smirked, and pulled on Mabel's sweater. "Yeah and Mom will be un- _bear-able_ if we miss class, now let's go!"

They were a sight, Mabel in her bright yellow sweater laughing as her twin pulled her along.

* * *

_Tuesday_ _September 11_

"Why are eating a salad?" Dipper asked as he sat down next to her, the cafeteria buzzing with noise. 

Mabel said something that was muffled in the salad. Dipper rolled his eyes and pulled out his journal. He flipped to the last page, a sketch of Lorelei sleeping. Her wooden deer mask was off letting anyone see her face; an attractive older women. Her hair spread out in a halo behind her and she had a content smile on her face. 

"Ooh." He heard as Mabel peeked over his shoulder. "Do you have a crush on Lori? Tsk, tsk Dip, you can't have a crush on your teacher, it's sweet but its _kinda_ weird." 

Dipper blushed and scowled at her; "I don't have a crush on her! I'm just adding a bit of info on her in the journal." He pointed at the salad that Mabel was eating, noting that she still had two juice boxes and a chocolate bar. "And again why are you eating a salad? It's probably not because you;re trying to start eating healthy, you've said that for your New Year's Resolution for the past two years." 

Now it was Mabel's turn to look sheepish, she looked down and opened up the chocolate bar. "I just thought since, well you being a Druid, it might be good to start eating veggies more." She looked away and then down at Dipper's tray- a cheeseburger with fries- and then up at him. "Split it? I know mom will have a fit if I waste my money."

Dipper shrugged and pushed it over. Mabel grinned and tore into like a starving wolf.

"Well well well, if it isn't Dipshit and Crazy? It's been a long time since I've seen the two of you." There was a shadow over them as Dipper looked up. In front of them was a broad- shouldered ape. Bryan Pratt was a thorn in Dipper's side since elementary school, being the biggest kid on the playground. Even Mabel thought it was best to stay clear of him and not rile him up, though he made it so _very_ easy to.

"Get lost Bryan! No one's allowed to call Dipper that 'sept me! Or our Grunkle Stan, maybe Gideon sometimes. Or Pacifica. Huh, actually there's a lot of people that can call Dipper 'Dipstick'." Mabel cried, a fry still sticking out of the side of her mouth. 

"Okay first," Dipper said, turning over to her. "He called me 'Dipshit'. And second," He turned back to Bryan, "Never call my sister crazy again. Yes, she might get over excited, a massive extrovert, and has a problem with keeping her voice down, but she. Is . _N_ _ot. C_ razy."

Mabel made a noise of protest, but nothing else.

Bryan scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Like I'm supposed to be scared of a shrimpy twerp with a stupid hat." He reached forward and poked Wendy's hat with a meaty finger. 

Dipper _growled_ and slapped his finger away. "Don't touch it."

Bryan lifted a eyebrow in surprise. "Looks like Lil' Dipper manned up." He leaned in close. "That ain't a good thing. Friday, after school, we fight." 

Mabel scoffed; "As if Dipper is stupid enough to want to fight you, butt-head."

Dipper nodded. "Yeah, I'd never stoop so low to fight you. Go away man."

Brad nodded and swaggered off to sit with his cronies on the other side of the cafeteria. 

"Jeez," Mabel muttered, relaxing back into her seat. "Can you believe that guy?" She looked over at Dipper and gasped softly. 

Dipper was gripping onto the table, hard enough that it almost started breaking. What was most alarming was the fact that Dipper's arm was slowing turning into wood. 

"Whoah," Mabel breathed as she looked over at it. "That's cool." She looked back up at Dipper and grinned. "And you said you couldn't do it, you liar!" She reached over and started poking at his arm. "Can you feel anything?" 

Dipper scrunched his face. "Kinda. It's hard to describe, I see you poking it, but I can't feel the poke." He looked at her. "I can't feel anything actually, it's- it's actually kinda disconcerting "

Mabel blew a raspberry. "I'm sure it's nothing brobro. _But..."_ She smiled and pulled out her phone. "This is a great moment to capture of my brother doing magic on purpose!"

"What about the zombies?" 

"We don't talk about the zombies."

* * *

_Wednesday_ _September 12_

Mabel whistled to herself as she circled back to the house after a quick walk with Waddles.

It was a nice sunny day with a light breeze. She felt her phone buzz and quickly glanced at it. 

> _Grunkle Stan: Hey pumpkin, Sixer and I wanna video chat. Ya two knuckleheads have some free time?_
> 
> _Mabel: Yeah! Give me 5 minutes, just finishing taking Waddles for a walk._

Mabel grinned and tore off the last couple blocks back to the house. Dipper was already inside, doing some extra credit for school. Why he was doing it, since school just started she didn't know. 

"Dipper!" She called as she burst into the house. "Grunkle Stan and Grunkle Ford wanna video chat! Can you get the computer ready while I wash up?" 

There was a thumping noise, and Dipper called down. "Yeah!"

"Thanks!" Mabel called as Waddles, waddled in. "I'll be up in a few! C'mon Waddles, let's get you fed." She led Waddles towards the backyard and pulled out his bowl. As she looked out, she could see Lorelei buried under the yard. She had to admit she couldn't believe that someone as tall as Lori could have hidden herself so well. 

"Mabel!" She heard Dipper yell. "Grunkle Stan and Grunkle Ford are ready to talk!"

"Coming!" She yelled back as she raced upstairs, almost tripping over the laundry basket Dipper kept outside his room and fell headfirst into the room.

 _"Sweetie?"_ She heard as she raised her head up, slightly dazed. _"Ya okay?"_

Mabel raised a shaky thumbs up and rose unsteadily to her feet. 

_"Mabel, I think it would be for the best if you sat down now,"_ the voice she recognized as Ford said as Dipper rushed over and sat her down on a beanbag chair.

 _"Holy Moses kid, ya can take on Gravity Falls with nothin' but a scratch, but trip on somethin' an ya get all dizzy. Wonder what's up with that?"_ Stan muttered, to Ford more than to Mabel. 

_"There's something about Gravity Falls that makes it harder to get seriously injured. Latent healing magic in the ground?"_ Ford mused as Dipper nodded.

"Makes sense." Dipper told him. "When I was training with the Manotaurs, they had a pool that healed me of any injuries I got. Mabel has done this sort of stuff before here without anything bad happening, maybe Weirdmageddon messed us up magically? Makes it so we get hurt easier?"

"Dip," Mabel muttered. "How's 'bout we not talk about magic, you'n Lori have been talking about it a lot recently."

 _"Ah, yes."_ Grunkle Ford said with a wide smile. " _I've been meaning to ask you about your training."_ He trailed off as Stan turned and gave him a stink eye. _"But I will hold off for now, how was school?"_

Mabel's eyes lit up. "It was awesome! It was great to my old friends again, and all our teachers are really nice. Miss Silk our English teacher is like this sweet old lady that has twenty cats, and one of them just had kittens and she wanted all of us to come up with names! They other kids picked names like Garlic and Fluffball, but Dip-Dop over here," she pulled him over with a grin. "Decided that once of 'em should be named Bast. Like that Egyptian girl god."

Dipper shrugged and gave a sheepish smile. "I just thought it might be a cool name. Lorelei told me about the African Archdruid this weekend. Her base is in Egypt so.." He trailed off with a shrug. 

Mabel frowned internally. Lori, Lori, Lori. It seemed that every conversation with Dipper wound up circling back to that Druid. Was she being irrational? No, never, she was Mabel the most rational person ever!

 _"Why's she named 'Bast'? Sound's like weird to me."_ Grunkle Stan commented as Mabel pulled herself back into the conversation. 

"Apparently it's a Druid thing. Every time a Druid almost dies, they change their name. Its suppose to represent them being reborn." 

Mabel smirked and popped up next to him. "Maybe that's why Lori likes you so much, you go by Dipper instead of your real name!" 

There was a general murmur of agreement from the three of them.

They spent the next hour just talking with their Grunkles. Apparently Old Man McGucket had built the two of them a specialized boat, filled to the brim with science equipment and actually had WiFi. They hadn't made it far from Oregon, just off the coast of Canada after a run in with Hyperborean giants.

 _"Stanley managed to steal this,"_ Ford explained while holding up a fist sized snowflake. " _This is an Everfreeze Flake, able to start a snowstorm when thrown into the air, Stanley did and managed to distract the Hyperboreans long enough for me to charge my blaster."_

Stan snorted and lightly punched him in the shoulder. _"You gotta come up with better names for things."_

 _"Like how you came up with all the names for your attractions? Like the cornicorn or the 'hampire'?"_ Ford shot back with a grin.

"Ooh." Mabel crowed. "Shots fired!"

They all laughed and Mabel settled back into the beanbag feeling content with her lot in life. Their were a bunch of other stories after they left

"Did'ya know that Dipper was challenged to a fight?" She asked, not really thinking before her mouth blurt it out.

Grunkle Stan and Grunkle Ford looked at Dipper in surprise.

_"Wait, Dipper? This kid? The kid that listens to Icelandic pop group BABBA?"_

_"Funnily enough,"_ Ford said as an aside, _"I'm pretty sure they're sheepfolk. The clue's in the name after all. We might take a detour their just out of curiosity"_

Dipper clapped his hands in excitement. "If you do can you get an autograph of Sauðastelpa? She is the lead singer after all." He clammed up when Mabel gave him a look. "What?" He asked blushing. "I know for a fact you had a crush on Deep Chris from Sev'ral Timez!" 

_"Whatever kiddo."_ Stan huffed, _"the fact remains that you ain't a fighter, why would this chump wanna fight ya?"_

Dipper shrugged and Mabel stuck her tongue out. "I dunno. Bryan always picked on me when we were in elementary school. He's just annoying and he's never y'know _hurt_ anyone. Wonder what happened if he wants to fight me."

"Bryan said to meet him after school on Friday, but Dip ain't doin' that!" Mabel proclaimed with a wide grin. 

_"Yes, that seems to be the best course of action."_ Ford told Dipper with a wry smile. _"I remember Stanley getting into trouble for getting into fights when we were in high school."_

Stan smiled but it then fell as a confused expression crossed his face. _"I- I did?"_ He asked. _"I don't remember anything like that."_

Ford's face paled and he gestured to cut off the call. 

"Right! Bye Grunkle Ford! See you later Grunkle Stan!" Mabel cried but she was panicking inside. She shot a quick glance at Dipper and saw that same fear in his eyes.

 _"Yeah, yeah."_ Stan said with a fond smile. _"I just gotta lay down for a while. See ya two knuckleheads later. Oh, and Dipper? Be the bigger man and not fight that creep."_

 _"Yes, bye children."_ Ford said and pressed a button on the computer.

Dipper put a comforting had on Mabel's shoulder. "It'll be fine Mabel. Ford'll help him remember. It was just a relapse." He stroked her hair and Mabel whimpered trying not to hear his voice crack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I'm an asshole. Ending with angst! Yeah, that, that was a good idea. Next chapter will be pure Mabel and Lorelei fluff 'cause reasons.
> 
> Also Icelandic pop group BABBA is comprised of sheepfolk and you cannot change my mind.


	3. Chapter 3

> _Summer 2012_
> 
> _September 17_
> 
> _I'm stuck with babysitting duty._
> 
> _I mean not literally. I'm just spending the entire day with Mabel Pines._
> 
> _I can think of many other things I could do besides spending a day with that glitter- powered, sugar -obsessed boy- chasing punk._
> 
> _If I sound angry it's because I spent an hour arguing with the unicorns. There is nothing more to be said about that._
> 
> _Argggh. I just wanted to spend one. Gods- forbidden. Day. With. My. New. Apprentice!_
> 
> * * *
> 
> _Side note: I needed to apologize for kicking a tree through someone's house._
> 
> _Huh, never needed to do that before. Maybe Weirdmageddon helped this town accept all the crazy weird stuff that happens on a regular fricking basis. Dipper did tell me that there was a secret society that was wiping the town's people's memories, so after all that accepting gnomes stealing pies and gremlins in the mechanic's shop isn't that big a deal._
> 
> * * *
> 
> _Hugh. I won't be able to do anything fun with her. Or at least anything that involves me actually doing Druid things that are safe. It's been a quiet week and I wanted to take Dipper up North so I could have a hands on lesson with him, but no he just had to have a robotic club meeting and had to miss it. So Mabel elected to come with me to keep me company. As if I'm lonely! I have this journal and.. and.._
> 
> _Yeah I'm lonely._
> 
> _But_ not _lonely enough that I want to spend more than 2 hours with Mabel._
> 
> _Be positive. Maybe we won't do anything that would make me rip my hair out. (Aside, I have done that many times, it is the ultimate stress reliever. It hurts the first 600 times but then you get used to the ripping sensation.)_
> 
> _Reason, ~~(what is it this time?)~~ 645 on why I shouldn't have kids._
> 
> _Also, I'm not 100% sure if she made up dating a vampire, because there are no true vampires in North America._
> 
> _Gods, I hope she doesn't talk about boys. Hrggh, there are secrets that should only be known in these journals._
> 
> _Let me get some rest, and I need to set some soup on the fire. Hope Mabel likes venison and mushrooms. I really don't understand this whole vegetarian thing..._

* * *

"Okay Mabel," Dipper said as he hoisted his backpack over his shoulder. "Lori should be here soon. Now do you remember what I told you?"

Mabel rolled her eyes as she finished stuffing the last of her yarn into her backpack. "Yeah, yeah bro-bro. Don't ask her to grow gigantic flowers, tame wild animals or have her be my wingwoman."

"Yes." Dipper breathed as he tried to straightened his vest. "Now I got to run, like right now, but I'll be back around 5-ish. Lori might have something fun she wants to do with you." He checked the clock above the kitchen, "I'm going now Mabel, have fun!" He ran out, but not before giving Mabel a quick hug and tussling up her hair.

"See ya later Sir Dippingsauce!" She called, and sat herself down on the backyard steps. She hummed an old Sev'ral Timez song she knew as she waited on the steps.

10 minutes later, one of the trees in the woods behind their backyard shook violently. The bark split open and out emerged Lorelei.

She looked as she normally looked: a 10 foot tall woman clad in armor fashioned out of wood, a simple deer mask over her face and moss growing from the cracks. She wore a simple scarf and a stick (Dipper called it a quarterstaff, even though it didn't look like a quarter. Hey-Yo!) in her right hand, and was tapping it impatiently. 

"You're here," She told said to her in a neutral tone. "I thought I would have to wait."

Mabel laughed nervously. She couldn't explain it, but their seemed to be a physical force coming off of her, an aura of pure indifference, twisting trees and nature not caring if you survived or not. Mabel shivered and pulled up her red and blue sweater.

"Well," She said. "It's a good thing you didn't need to. He-he."

"Yes" Lorelei with a nod. "It's good because I did not want to wait." She gave a jerk of her head towards the tree. "Shall we get going? I assume you have already eaten breakfast?" 

Mabel nodded enthusiastically and followed Lorelei. "So what are we gonna do?" She asked rocking back and forth on her heels. 

"We are going into the woods of Washington." Lorelei replied, and Mabel paused. There was something cold in her response. "Is that alright with you?"

Mabel smiled, but she felt disappointed that they weren't going back to Gravity Falls. She wanted to ask why, but after Lorelei shot her a look she clammed up and followed her.

"Try not to panic. Tree- hopping is uncomfortable the first time around." And with that, she snapped her fingers.

* * *

> _Pain. Hot white pain shot through her head._
> 
> _Visions started filling her vision._
> 
> _A deer being born, growing up and then dying. She could see it falling to its knees._
> 
> _Decaying_ _. Maggots crawling out its eyes._

* * *

They popped out a minute later. Lorelei shaking her head while Mabel stumbled onto her knees while clutching her stomach. They were in a thick old growth forest. While the woods of Gravity Falls were mainly filled with pine trees, Washington was- in one word- Wilder. Lorelei might have had more time to enjoy it if Mabel hadn't chose that exact moment of throw up. 

"Ugh. That was, ugh, not fun." She groaned. 

Lorelei sighed and picked her up. "That's what I said. Don't worry it gets easier the more you do it. But try and remind your brother not to do it too much especially at first. After awhile you start wanting to photosynthesize and gossip with the pollinators." She shuddered. "That was 5 minutes I'll never get back."

Mabel gave a pathetic laugh and leaned up against her. "Heh, that's, that's kinda funny. What did ya hear?"

Lorelei snorted. "I'll tell you later. Now," she pushed her up. "let's go birdwatching."

Mabel's smile fell. "WHAT!" she shouted, ironically scaring some birds. "Bird watching is _boring."_ She groaned and fell head first into the ground. "Ow."

"Bird watching isn't boring! Watching grass grow is boring, and it was either that or we can go hunting for chupacabras, and something tells me that won't be, you know, _safe."_

Mabel gave her a look. "Besides," Lorelei continued. "We aren't watching regular birds." 

"What do you mean?"

Lorelei smiled under her mask. "You see, it's almost Autumn, we're 840 miles from Canada. We're just a week away before the Lumenbird migration starts."

Lorelei rubbed her hands together. "Oh, the things I can make."

Mabel gasped and pointed an accusatory finger at her, "We aren't bird watching, we're bird hunting! I can't kill and eat one of them." She pressed her hand to her forehead. "It would be cruel. And why're the called Lumenbirds?"

"Because they glow bright blue, and we aren't hunting the Lumenbird, we're trying to find a grove where they nest. Inside, there are trees called Lumentrees (great name I know) that grow the most _delicious_ berries. The only problem is that the grove moves yearly and I need your help to find it."

Mabel crossed her arms and gave Lorelei a doubtful look. "Why couldn't you do it then? If your so powerful," Mabel waved her hands. "It can't be that hard."

She had point. The first couple times she did use her powers, but after a while it became routine. After explaining it MacDougal, the European Archdruid, he suggested doing it old fashioned way, which for him was threatening to kill one of the Folk if they didn't tell him where he could find a stash of Leprechaun mead. (Freaking Scots.) 

"Well," She started. "It's boring doing it with your magic. After all," she poked Mabel's sweater. "Wouldn't it be boring if you could just will your sweaters into reality?"

Mabel hummed and nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah it would be boring. But it would be fun to will up a sweater anytime I wanted." Her eyes sparkled and she look up at Lorelei. "Do _you_ want a sweater?"

Lorelei blushed. "Wha- what? No, I don't want one." She rapped a knuckle on her armor. "This is enough for me."

"But.."

 _ **"No."**_ Lorelei ground out. And that seemed to stop Mabel in her tracks, she gestured for them to start moving, casually moving brush out of the way. "Now stay close to me. Canada is Wilder than America, and sometimes either or the Folk or monsters like to break the treaty and slip here."

"Who're the Folk?"

"Well, depends on who you're asking. If you ask MacDougal (he's the Archdruid of Europe) it's usually Fae. Over here it's Fae but also the intelligent monsters. I just use it as a catch all term for anything intelligent and can have a conversation in their own language."

"Like what?"

"I can tell you. There's still a lot though."

"We 'ave time!"

"Alright then." Lorelei said. "Stop me if you recognize any of them."

She was grinning under the mask. Finally, something that her and Mabel could talk about and not something that would want to make her rip her hair out.

"Well, their are globlins- basically goblins made out of globs of amber, gremlins- short cousins of goblins that like messing with anything built. There's a nest in a mechanic's shop back in Gravity Falls. Let's see, quackan are like centaurs except they're ducks. Sasquatch- bigfoot- are kind of rare. I've seen them a couple times over the centuries. They're normally nomadic but maybe the next time they stop by Gravity Falls I'll bring your brother out." She wagged a finger at Mabel. "I see that smile, you want to have them prank Dipper."

Mabel giggled but said nothing else. She was sticking close to her, a couple of feet at all times. She would wander occasionally wander off towards a butterfly or pretty flower but her head was always on a swivel, keeping her in sight. That was smart, Lorelei could see a black blur darting between trees out of the corner of her eyes. Fae most likely, and given how the leaves were falling and the temperature dropping it seemed the Autumn Court was responsible. She kept a close eye on Mabel, sometimes the Court liked to steal children. Mostly because the Fae suffered from sterility. None of the children were hurt, but since time distillation, what seemed to be 10 minutes for the kid ended up being 10 years in the Material Plane.

"You okay Lori?" Mabel asked, making Lori jump in surprise. "You okay? You've been kinda quiet for a while."

"I'm fine. You were just wandering off. Being quiet is a requirement when you're a Druid. Where was I? Sataur are basically satyrs except with horses. Also called Tikbalang, I would not recommend following one. They like leading travellers astray and then forcing them try their recipes. Never try their smoothies. They make it out of pine cones and mushrooms. Disgusting." 

Mabel made a face. 

"Right, here's one I don't think you would be interested in; Talentula. Spiders whose venom makes you spontaneously good at a random talent. Not found up in America, they're more common down south."

And on it went. While she would have rathered it be Dipper who she was having this conversation with, Mabel added a bit more... liveliness. She asked a lot of questions, some that made sense and others... not as much. But she paid attention and gave clever insights to some of the Folk she hadn't talked with in a while. Who knew that the Lilliputians had changed their names and migrated to the mini golf course? _Good riddance to them,_ She thought as Mabel ran up ahead of her. _Their stupid blood feud got real annoying to deal with._

Of course it wasn't all fun and games. Mabel almost got crushed under foot by a tree giant. The huge Folk must have been trying to cross the border and wasn't paying attention. After a thorough scolding the giant, named Dave apologized and in exchange said he saw a gathering of Lumenbirds and gave them some helpful pointers. 

With a wave the bark skinned humanoid strode off. Mabel waving all the way. "Bye Dave! Say hi to your friends for me!"

Lorelei shook her head in amusement. "Tree giants are one of the gentlest Folk, their only issue is that well one, they have very bad eyesight, and two, they live for a long time. I'm actually debating whether or not we should follow those instructions. He might be remembering a Lumenbird grove over a hundred years prior."

Mabel shrugged and climbed up Lorelei's back and perched on her shoulders. "Well, we don't have any other leads." She grabbed her mask's antlers and shouted, "Onwards Aoshima!" 

Lorelei wondered if it would be in bad form to drop her.

They followed Dave's instructions until the sun was high in the sky. Lorelei's stomach was rumbling and she thought it would be best to stop for lunch. Mabel was draped over her shoulder with some vines keeping her from falling.

She walked over to glade and unceremoniously dropped Mabel. "Come on then, time for lunch."

Mabel groaned and stood up. "What we having?"

"Venison soup with mushrooms. I would have brought some rabbit but Dipper said you wouldn't enjoy it all that much."

Mabel stuck her tongue out in disgust. "No chocolate or something? This girl needs her sugar!" 

Lorelei grunted and dug around in her pack. "I traded some golden apples to get apple fritters. And," she peered into the bag. "I got some candy golem blood. Remind me to thank that man- Soos was it?- for killing it." She snarled under her breath. "Stupid thing kept popping up every year and it's annoying having to chase it all over town."

"Wait," Mabel said shrugging off her backpack and opening a bottle. "Do you mean the Summerween Trickster?"

Lorelei shrugged and pulled out two clay jars and handed them to Mabel. "He hasn't been called the 'trickster' for a while. He's honestly just a victim that got too much power." 

She grabbed the water skin. "Take a swig. I added some sap to make it taste better. Once you melt the 'loser candy' it actually tastes better."

Mabel dropped her bottle, took the water skin and took a quick swig. "Ugh, that's not good. Give me an apple fritter."

"Your loss kid." She tossed one over and opened up the clay jar and sat down on a fallen tree. "It tastes better than you think."

Mabel shrugged and started chewing on the fritter. They sat down in comfortable silence. They only noise was their chewing, the sounds of rustling leaves, and the flapping of bird wings. 

"What if we don't find the Lumentrees?" Mabel asked after a while. "I'd hate to waste your entire day on nothing. Especially since you seem kinda..." She trailed off and furrowed her brow. She gently placed the bowl down and took off. 

"What the..?" Lorelei exclaimed as Mabel ran off. Dipper had told her that Mabel would run off, but right now? After she said not to wander too far off? "Mabel! Wait! Come back!" It was too late, Mabel was already running and she knew that chasing after her was a futile effort. Mabel was too fast and small enough to squirm out of her grasp.

She didn't think Mabel would get hurt by anything. It was still light out, she was traveling with an Archdruid, _and_ she knew for a fact Mabel had her grappling hook. Still, a girl dressed in a brightly colored sweater does raise some attention.

She extended her senses, trying to hone in on her. She could smell the rich, wet earth, hear the far off humming of a dragonfly, and on the very edge of her vision, could see Mabel running off. And a black stag with silver antlers staring at right at the running child.

She cursed under her breath. An Autumn Herald, perfect. Honestly, Mabel could probably take it on in a fair fight, but since Heralds tended to ambush their targets, Mabel had a 50/50 chance of getting a hit in before it grabbed her.

Lorelei bolted into action. With one hand she grabbed her quarterstaff, with the other she focused her mind and willed the roots to grab hold of Mabel. She would be _damned_ if the Autumn Court took a child under her watch. Her feet pounded the ground as she pushed herself towards Mabel.

Mabel stopped suddenly as a tree root shot in front of her and wrapped around her. The Herald, sensing an opportunity, ran forward, its mouth splitting open into a wolfish grin, filled to the brim with jagged teeth. Mabel gasped, and tried to push the roots aside. At the last possible second, Lorelei smacked it over the head with her quarterstaff.

It shook its head in confusion, and Lorelei took the moment to undo the roots. "Mabel," she told the girl. "Run. _Now._ Keep going, stop when you feel you are far enough away. I'll join you when I," The Herald, who had shaken off its daze, attempted to bite her, before being uppercutted. "Finish dealing with Mr. Annoying."

Mabel didn't say anything, mostly because she was staring at her in horror as she swung her quarterstaff and was smashing it into the Herald's head. "Run!" She snapped and mock swung her quarterstaff at her. Mabel yelped and ran, heading into a thicket.

 ** _GIVE ME THE GIRL_**. The Herald spoke, its antlers glowing faintly, its eyes blazing in anger as it pranced away from another blow. _**SHE IS TO BE WED TO THE PRINCE.**_

"Unlikely," Lorelei replied, stepping back as the Herald attempted to gore her with its antlers. "Since the 'girl' is 13 and she's my ward." She swung the quarterstaff and snapped its neck to the right. 

_**THE PRINCE NEEDS A BRIDE. SHE IS CHOSEN, DO YOU WISH TO ANGER THE COURT?** _

"The Court and his 'Highness' need to remember," she shot back whacking it back, as it tried to prance out of the way. "That as long as I am around they will _not_ steal children from this realm!" 

The Herald snarled and attempted to bite her. She lifted her vambrace and it bounced off with a clang.

**_GIVE ME ONE REASON WHY?_ **

The answer was another smack of the quarterstaff and a wooden punch to the face that dropped it to its knees. The Herald tried to bite at her, but with a snap of her fingers, vines sprouted from the ground and pinned it down. The Herald strained against the restraints and then slacked.

_**FINE. BUT I SEND A MESSAGE FROM THE AUTUMN COURT: IN 5 MOONS TIME...** _

"Yeah, yeah. I get the message. I've heard this every gods- forbidden year. Here let me finish it for you." She cleared her throat. " _ **In 5 moons time, day and night will be of equal length, and at the end of next month the bonds between this world and yours will be thin enough that your people shall be able to pass through."**_

_**DO NOT PRESUME YOU KNOW WHAT WE PLAN. WE ARE ANCIENT. WE ARE POWERFUL. WE CONTROL MAGICKS UNKNOWN TO YOU. WE ARE...** _

"A real piece of work, aren't you? Every year it's the same thing. You tell me that Autumn is in 5 days and then you try to take a kid." She scoffed. "Fae. You guys never learn. Now, I'm going to leave you here and let you think about the consequences of your action."

_**WHAT? NO! YOU CANNOT DO...** _

The Herald couldn't finish this thought, when vines wrapped around its mouth and pulled it to the ground with a thud its eyes blazing with anger.

Lorelei nodded in approval and turned away from the tied down Herald when a sudden thought hit her. "Mabel!" She called and strained a bit more magic through her ears. Was that the pattering of feet or was it something else? If the Herald managed to slip into the Material Plane, then what else could have? And knowing Mabel, she probably would see a kelpie, think it was a regular horse and get drowned or see a Malepo and wind up found half digested in a cave.

Mabel was missing. That was evident, and she had no idea where to start. Sure, if she focused she could do a large scale sweep of the forest, but even still that would take time, time she didn't have. Dipper and his parents were going to be back around 5. And what could she say? That Mabel ran away and got eaten by one the Folk?

Her magic was wavering. She hadn't strained this much in a long time, and she snapped. Her legs buckled in and she collapsed onto her knees. She saw stars in her eyes and her mouth filled with bile as she quickly pulled her mask up and threw up the excess magical strain. "-ori!" She heard? Or did she imagine it? Gods, it was so, _so_ long that she used magic to this degree. "-ori! Are you okay? Lori! Lorelei!" Her eyes refocused and she saw a red and blue sweater standing next to her. She retched again, and the sweater disappeared, she felt hands pull her hair off her face. 

"Mabel?" She whispered. 

"Yeah. It's alright. Just let it out. Can I get you some water?" There was some rustling as Mabel grabbed her bottle. Lorelei clawed at the bottle an lifted it her mouth, and she drank greedily. Her heart was pounding and she took some deep breaths. "That's right." Mabel said soothingly. "Just take deep breaths. In and out. Through the noise and out the mouth." 

They stood there. Mabel gently rubbing her back and soothing her after more violent retches. 

"How? How... do you?" Lorelei asked shakingly. 

"Dipper." She started and then stopped. Lorelei looked at her, she was biting her lip and looking away. "He, he sometimes has nightmares. And I do to. Not as bad, but I'm the one that helps him through them." She sniffled. "Hon- honestly Dip is the one that helps _me."_

"Hey." Lorelei told her, lifting a hand to stroke her hair. "Dipper is a good brother, I readily agree with that. But you are a good sister, who else would help Dipper through all that?"

Mabel gave a teary- eyed smile. "Thanks, sorry." She rubbed her eyes. 

Lorelei laughed softly, then felt her cheeks bulge as she threw up a pound of dirt and a handful of wild strawberries. Mabel looked sick. "What the heck?"

"Sorry. Happens sometimes."

They both laughed quietly, but Lorelei eyes hardened. "Why did you run Mabel? You scared me, you could have been taken. That deer? That was an Autumn Herald, often used by the Autumn Court to take children."

Mabel's eyes widened and she looked away. "S'nothing. Jus' thought I saw a Lumenbird or something." she balled her hands. "I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry." She hung her head in shame. 

"Humph. You have fire inside you, just be careful with what you do with it."

Mabel muttered something and gave Lorelei a quick hug. "Yeah, I promise. Sorry, I, I just thought I saw something." She shrugged. "Guess I was wrong."

"Maybe not." Lorelei said thoughtfully. "A Lumenbird might have felt my power and started flying towards us." Lorelei stood up, and gave her back a stretch. "Where was the last place you saw it?"

Mabel pointed vaguely to the left, "O'er their. It was quick, a bright blue blur zipping through the air."

Lorelei hummed, and extended her power, just faintly enough so that she could sense anything avian. "Wait!" Mabel called out excitedly. "I think it saw it just now!" Lorelei whipped around and saw a hand- sized bird glowing a faint blue dart through the trees. "Climb on!" She called to Mabel as she grabbed onto her armor and pulled herself up as Lorelei chased the bird. "Hold on tight and keep your face covered!" Mabel didn't respond, instead letting out a loud whoop. 

Lorelei pulled down her mask, leaves and branches slapping her face, even as she cast a spell to protect Mabel from the brunt of it.

Mabel was giggling like a mad man, and it soaked into her bones, making her feel giddy and light on her feet. Wait, no that was her turning her nails into their deer equivalent. They grew, hardened and formed a protective wall around her fingers, and a second later she was galloping over tree roots and shrubs as elegantly as a doe. She felt hear ears extend and widen, as she saw out of the corner of her eyes two dark brown, velvety deer ears spring forth. She must have done that accidentally, but it helped now when Mabel gently pulled on her left ear.

"It went thataway!" She called as Lorelei skid forward before readjusting and bounding off after it. She could see a faint glow of it through the mask's eyeholes. But honestly, Mabel guided her more than Lorelei herself. Her reflexes were on point, everytime the Lumenbird turned, Mabel would already be pulling Lorelei's ear. She had the makings to be an excellent warrior. Lorelei made a mental note to ask Cernunnos if he would be open to train someone, after all she and Dipper were almost attached at the hip, if they got into a fight- gods knew how many fights Lorelei had gotten into over the years- then they would need some training. 

"Hold up girlfriend!" Mabel called and pulled both ears back. Lorelei slowed to a trot and stopped. "Dang. I lost it. How'd you lose a glowing blue bird?" Lorelei didn't reply, she had lost many creatures over the years while she was tracking them, chupacabras, jackalopes, and that one very weird time she was tracking a Hide- Behind and it wound up tracking her.

"Never mind that. Keep your head on a swivel, I'll keep going forward." Lorelei couldn't explain it, but she felt that they were close. It was buzzing feeling in the back of her mind, an incessant crawling sensation on her neck. Wait, no that was Mabel running a comb through her hair. She shook her head in irritation and Mabel pulled away. 

Lorelei sniffed the air, the magic felt stronger. That was impossible, she hadn't seen the entrance. "Do you feel that?" Mabel whispered into Lorelei's ear. She flicked it in annoyance and nodded. After the whole Weirdmageddon fiasco, it was highly probably that sensing magic would be easier.

She shook her body. The buzzing feeling was spreading all over, they were so, so _close_ to the glade.

Then they were there. In a blip, they were in a vast open glade, the grass was green and soft, with sweet scent that drafted over the breeze. There was am ever present sun that painted everything in a gentle glow. And the Lumenetrees! She was used to them being twisted and dying, but here they were in the prime of their lives. Strong, supple trunks waved gently as the duo approached. Mabel slipped off as Lorelei stood upright. "Whoah," Mabel breathed. "This is amazing, wonderful!"

"Impossible." She recognized where they were. A pocket dimension. But how? The amount of magic required would be enough to send even an experienced wizard into a coma. And one this size? It was unbelievable. 

Mabel didn't seem to mind, and given how she normally was, that was completely expected. She was running around, brushing her hands through the grass and attempted to climb one of the trees before Lorelei grabbed the back of her sweater. "No Mabel. We don't know what may be here."

Mabel ran back to her. "Yeah, I'm feeling weird. We were somewhere else and then here." She gestured wildly and she kicked a rock towards a patch of grass. There was a squawk and with a flurry of wing beats an Enfield took off. Mabel gave a start and the winged fox almost scratched her in its panic.

"What the what?" Mabel cried as she back up into Lorelei. "That was adorable, but huh?"

"Enfield." Lorelei supplied helpfully. "I haven't seen one these things in a _while_. MacDougal said they used to be common over in Europe." Lorelei snorted. "Well before the Wild places became less Wild." She shook her head sadly. "Shame." Lorelei shook her head. "Now let's pick some Lumenberries. I don't want to keep thinking about the old days."

"Yeah. You don't want to be like 'Back in my day, we ate dodos for Thanksgiving.'" Mabel snorted in amusement and crawled up the nearest tree and started shaking the branches while Lorelei plucked the berries. 

She had to tell Mabel not to gorge herself. The Lumenberries were poisonous in large quantities, and were only safe after she crushed them to make her famous jam. They spent a good couple hours their, and Lorelei took the opportunity to see what other creatures were their. Mabel started a Mud Drake and spent a good five minutes chasing it while Lorelei tried to stop her from getting hurt. Their were a couple of Tree Deer nibbling on the leaves of the trees and as they passed, they rustled their leaf like fur in agitation. Mabel laughed and got a kick out of scaring them before Lorelei told her that they might stampede if she kept it up.

Lorelei whistled and checked her bucket. It was almost full, and enough for her to make some juice and jam to trade with the Folk. Maybe even a little extra to store so she could eat after winter. 

"This is good Mabel." She called and Mabel stopped and looked down at her. "Let's get you back home."

"What'chu going to make with all this?" Mabel questioned as she hung from the branch. Lorelei gestured for her to get on her arm and she placed Mabel on her back.

"Some juice, some jam. If I have some extra, I can try and make some muffins." She rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Never made muffins before. Can't be that hard, can it?"

"I mean I can give you a muffin recipe I use sometimes."

"Thanks, I'll leave some for you the next time I come around"

Mabel squeed and hugged her neck. "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you! It'll probably taste awesome! And, and..." she trailed off when Lorelei snapped her fingers in front of her face. Her eyelids drooped and then closed. Mabel was a nice girl, but right now Lorelei just needed some peace and quiet.

* * *

When Mabel woke up later, she was confused to see that she was in her room, lying on her bed. She straightened up with a groan. There was a flurry of rapid steps and her door opened to see a smiling Dipper. 

"You're awake."

Mabel yawned and jumped off. "What time is it?" 

"5. I've got some mac- n- cheese ready. Honestly when Lorelei came back with you sleeping in her hands, I was surprised. Honestly, you don't tire yourself out that much, Lorelei said you ran a lot." He sat down on the bed with her. "Anything happen?"

Mabel shrugged. "Yeah, Lorelei fought this black deer 'cause it was being rude to her. Called it a Autumn Harold." 

Dipper cocked his head in confusion but said nothing. "Now how's about we start eating? I had a couple of berries but that was nothing."

"Did you spoil your appetite?"

"Pssh, this girl don't ever get full."

Dipper laughed and helped her up. "Nice. Try not to make a mess."

* * *

> _Summer 2012_
> 
> _September 18_
> 
> _Well, today was a good day. Honestly I expected it to go worse. Mabel was nice and kept close to me the entire time._
> 
> _The only bad thing that happened was that I had to deal with a_ **Black Herald.**
> 
> _Stupid thing was planning on taking Mabel and have her be wed to the Autumn Prince, but I managed to get it to calm down.*_
> 
> _But what really surprised me was that Dipper and Mabel are suffering from nightmares. I need to do something for them._
> 
> _As I'm sitting here, I can't help but wonder how that pocket dimension formed. A side effect of Weirdmageddon? Or was it something else? Questions I have no answer for._
> 
> _I'm tired. I used a crap ton of magic today and I need to get some rest. But first, I have something I need to finish up for Mabel...._
> 
> _*Read: I beat it up and tied it down._

* * *

Mabel was woken up by a quiet knock on her window. She groggily sat up and rubbed her eyes. Her room was quiet and as she pushed her comforter out of the way, she saw a shadow by the window.

"Mabel." She heard whisper from a crack in the window. "It's me."

Lorelei? What was she doing at, she checked her alarm clock. _1:45_ in the morning?

She walked over to the window and opened it. If there was a reason why she was here, it had better be a good one.

"Hey Lori." She called out with a yawn.

Lorelei looked at her with a gentle smile. Her mask was off and her hair was tangled with twigs and brambles. She pulled a stick out of her hair and flicked it away. "Sorry for the late night summons. I have something for you." Lorelei reached into her pack and pulled out a mess of twig, rope and feathers. "This is a nightmare ward, it's like a dreamcatcher except not." She gave a sad smile. "Hard to describe, but it'll stop any bad nightmares." Lorelei handed it over to Mabel. "Take it."

"What?" Mabel asked in confusion as she held the nightmare ward. She took a closer look at it, the frame was made out of wood, with an intricate rope image of a shooting star. Hanging from the frame were three feathers, and as she pulled it closer to her face, she saw that they were glowing faintly.

"Place it under your pillow before you got to sleep." She instructed. "Then remove it and wash it with warm water. Hope it helps you." Lorelei told her and pulled away from the window. "Sleep tight, don't let the gnomes bite." She gave a wave and walked off towards the woods.

"Huh," Mabel said and looked down. This would keep her from getting nightmares? Honestly, she wanted to take it _but..._ She glanced over at the adjacent wall. Dipper would need it more. 

She pushed open her door and walked over to his door. The door was slightly ajar, and she poked her head in to see her brother tossing and turning in his bed. She bit her lip, and gently stepped in. She folded her hands, and gently placed the nightmare ward under his pillow. It took a while, since she didn't want to wake him up, but after a minute of shifting around until the nightmare ward was under the pillow. Dipper instantly relaxed and a content smile spread against his face.

"Sleep tight bro- bro." She told the sleeping form and gave him a kiss on the forehead before heading back to her room.


End file.
